Rearing Megaphasma dentricus

The mega walkingstick is the largest and undoubtedly most colorful
of the U.S. Phasmids. The females reach 150mm (6 inches) and the males
are about 130mm (over 5 inches). The males are the colorful ones and possess
enlarged femurs with a decent spine on the middle and back legs which they
use to impale other males. Sadly, I will not have a photo of an adult male
for a few months.

Life cycle: Females lay a few hundred black and white eggs which
will hatch in 5-8 months. Nymphs of this animal are very fragile and often
tough to get to start feeding but they are definitely worth the trouble.
5 or more months later and adult males are about stabbing each other and
injecting females with large spine-like spermatophores that stick out of
the females abdomen.

Difficulties:
There seems to be a very high mortality on hatchlings which is lessened
greatly if fed willow until the first molt and kept with other nymphs that
have already begun eating. One other problem is that males tend to kill
each other eventually but generally long after they have successfully mated
many times.
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